NASCAR

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Needs To Be More Aggressive

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. Silver Texas

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When is the last time anyone can remember Dale Earnhardt Jr. being involved in an on-track dustup? How about an after-race altercation? Neither seem to be Junior’s style, but in order for him to take the next step, he may have to finally ruffle a few feathers.

There’s no doubt that Junior has kept his nose and the front bumper of his car clean throughout the majority of his career, earning the respect of competitors and fans alike. The 13-time winner of NASCAR‘s Most Popular Driver Award has earned that status through his usually friendly demeanor, approachability, a favorable relationship with the media and by being one of the most endorsed athletes in sports. He, along with Danica Patrick, are the national faces of the sport.

His consistency has paid off with some solid seasons including last year, in which he won four races en route to a eighth-place finish in points. Overall, Junior has three top-eight finishes over the past four years and finished as high as third in points in 2003.

But, look at the drivers who have won championships over the years and they’ve all had rivals, run-ins, even physical altercations with other drivers.

Kevin Harvick (Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, etc.), Brad Keselowski (Carl Edwards, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Gordon, etc.), Gordon (Jeff Burton, Kenseth, Clint Bowyer, Keselowski, etc.), Tony Stewart (Logano, Brian Vickers, Kenseth, etc.), and even Jimmie Johnson (Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, Greg Biffle) have all had multiple confrontations over their championship-winning careers.

It’s not that these kinds of things are what wins NASCAR titles, but these rivalries usually form because a driver is willing to do anything to win a race or title, even if that means making a move that is detrimental to someone else on the track. Quite simply, Junior hasn’t shown this kind of aggression yet in his career and that is one of the main reasons he hasn’t taken the ultimate step forward.

Maybe the saying “nice guys finish last” isn’t completely true. In NASCAR, however, they sure don’t seem to finish first either.

Ryan Pritt is a NASCAR writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter @RPritt, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

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